Thursday, February 14, 2008

Italian food is Vegan Mom's favourite, so tonight's romantic Valentine's meal was a rustic and simple, but tasty, bean and pasta dish. And when I say "romantic meal," I mean with the three boys making all sorts of ruckus and complaining about the eggplant side dish. *sigh* As Vegan Mom says, Valentine's Day is only fun for people who are dating or have no kids.

INGREDIENTS

- 2 tbsp oil

- 1 red onion, diced

- 2 celery stalks, diced

- 2-3 roma tomatoes, diced

- 2 generous tbsp tomato paste

- 2 1/2 cups water

- 1 pinch cayenne pepper

- salt and pepper to taste

- 1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

- 8 oz spaghetti, broken in 3-4 inch pieces

METHOD

1. Heat oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and celery for 5 mins, until soft. Add in tomatoes, paste, cayenne, and water. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to bubbling and simmer for 10 mins.

2. Add beans and broken pasta and simmer until pasta is done. Stir frequently, and add more water if necessary. The final dish should be thick, but not too thick.

That's funny. Our "romantic" dinner was tempeh wingz as requested by Josh and the sound of our 17 month old talking and shaking his head no to the dinner we were offering. Ahh the life of parenting. There is never a dull moment. Have a great weekend.

Hello! I love reading your blog and wanted to tell you that I tried your crispy tofu recipe last night for Valentine's dinner for my fiancee. We both loved it and it may just be my new favorite way of preparing tofu. Thanks for all the good ideas you post here!